1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a label printer provided with a cover which is opened and closed for setting and replacing of a printing medium and relates to a printing medium to be used in the label printer.
Further, the present invention relates to a label printer adapted to receive a printed label discharged from the label printer.
2. Description of Related Art
One of conventional printers using a long printing medium is adapted to set a roll sheet in a main body of the printer. To set the roll sheet in the main body, a cover attached to the main body is first opened, exposing a storage part. Then, the roll sheet is set in the storage part and the cover is closed. Such printer is for example disclosed in Japanese utility model application laid-open No. H3-19047 (1991-19047).
When the cover is closed, the setting work of the roll sheet is finished. At this time, however, a user cannot see the roll sheet from outside.
In the case of producing a receipt, for example, a user can find that a roll sheet set in the printer is getting low by seeing the color and mark applied on part of the roll sheet discharged from the printer even if the roll sheet set in the printer is invisible from outside. Further, there is little necessity to use another roll sheet having a different width as a receipt and the user would hardly check a specification (width, length, etc.) of the roll sheet in particular.
On the other hand, in cases of printing on a label made of a heat-sensitive sheet and a release sheet bonded thereon with an adhesive, a roll sheet for the label is often changed to another roll sheet of a different width. Accordingly, even where the cover is in a closed state, it is necessary for the user to check afterward the specification (width, length, etc.) of the roll sheet.
Differently from a cassette type roll sheet, the roll sheet has no cover or the like for affixing a seal or the like which is indicating the specification.
In such a case, accordingly, the user cannot see the roll sheet from outside after closing the cover even if he wishes to check afterward the specification (width, length, etc.) of the roll sheet. Even where the cover is in an opened state, the user cannot confirm the specification of the roll sheet because the roll sheet has no part applied with the specification.
Moreover, many conventional printers have a discharge tray which receives paper sheets discharged. One of such printers is disclosed in for example Japanese utility model application laid-open No. S62-153252 (1987-153252).
When a paper sheet is discharged with a printed surface facing downward, the discharge tray receives the sheet of which the printed surface facing down as just discharged. In this state, a user could not see or confirm a printed content.
Such printer usually prints on the undersurface of a paper sheet being fed or conveyed within the printer. In this view, the printer has to include a mechanism for inverting the sheet during feeding in order to allow a user to see the printed content on the sheet received in the discharge tray.
However, among the printers, a label printer which produces a printed label is entirely small in size and hence it does not have a sufficient space for an additional mechanism. Providing such additional mechanism will lead to not only a large-size label printer but also complication of mechanisms, high cost, and other disadvantages.